Dear Azle News Editor,
I noticed a description of deer in a recent Azle News photo as a-doe-rable, a clever caption. It would have been nice to include the fact that they are beautiful and graceful creatures that should be enjoyed from a distance. They are wild animals, and the fact that people insist on feeding them corn and other unsuitable food is ruining their natural behavior and health. Supplemental feeding has also caused quite a few Azle neighborhoods to have serious deer overpopulation problems. Here are the reasons people should never feed them: Feeding deer corn leads to larger herds, parasites in deer, and habituated deer which eventually become very aggressive. Larger herds attract predators, which are also a threat to pets and even small children.
Feeding entices deer and other wild animals to congregate unnaturally in a small area. Chronic wasting disease, rabies, and distemper spread through close contact, contaminated soil or food, and skirmishes with other wild animals over food.
